January 31, 1988

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Volume 8 Issue 4 Article 7

8-1988

An Appeal - January 31, 1988

Valery Lapkovsky et al.

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Recommended Citation Lapkovsky, Valery et al. (1988) "An Appeal - January 31, 1988," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 8 : Iss. 4 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol8/iss4/7

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AN APPEAL . JANUARY 31, 1988

-Moved by the sense of responsibility for the future of the Russian Orthodox Church,

-suffering from wounds received by the Church from the policy of State atheism in the

USSR,

-not willing to allow the official celebrations planned by the Moscow Patriarchate to the

lOOOth anniversary of Baptism in Russia appear to be a next pompous attempt firstly to hide the

captive state of the Church and secondly to prove that absolute freedom of worship reigns in the

Soviet Union and there is no persecution for confession of fa ith, we the group of Russian

Orthodox believers think that it is necessary:

1. To organize mass signatures under appeals requiring the release of all the prisoners of

fai th;

2. To continue collecting signatures under the appeal to the Presidium of the Supreme

Soviet of the USSR about changing Stalin-time laws connected with religions so that the Church

will get back its natural rights and the most important one--the right to freedom of speech;

3. To support the Appeal of Archbishop Feodosy of Astrakhan-and-Yenotayev to open

Kiev-Pechora Monastery-the font of Russia;

4. At the time of the Anniversary, on the 7th of June, on the day of acquiringi.he head of

John the Baptist, to convene a Christian seminar on historical-theological problems of Church and

the legal status of religion in the USSR-to fill in important gaps in the history and

contemporary life of the Church which appeared at the jubilee theology conferences of the Moscow

Patriarchate;

5. To ask the representatives of independent Christian community to appeal to the Local

Council of the Russian Orthodox Church with a call to canonize the new Russian martyrs of the I XXth century and to disaffirm the statute of theLocal Council of 1961 which was approved under

pressure from outside and which deprives the priesthood of the possibility to participate in full

measure in the church-parish life; all the power in the Church has to appertain to the Church itself;

6. We, members o� the Sole Holy Apostolic Church of Conciliarism, united by faith,

love and hope around the Sacrificial Chalice of Christ propose to celebrate in June 1988 theDivine

Liturgy for the persecuted because some of us arc deprived of the joy of participation in the liturgical life of church as builders of Divine Mysteries. We will offer up our prayer for the

30 persecuted and persecutorsin hope that God wi 11 make understand those who rise theirright. handat Him and His Church;

7. To organize the exhibition refleCting the real Church life and its profaned sacred places, to hold the festivals of Christian art and other initiatives;

The lOOOth. Anniversary of Baptism in Russia is a festival not only of Russian

Orthodoxy but of all Christian confessions which historically were formed on the territory of our

country. We invite to participate in our initiatives Catholics and Protestants as well as

representatives of all creeds for whom our God Jesus Christ is not enemy but intercessor for Good and Light. We are glad to greet at our celebrations our brothers Christians from abroad, especially

the Head of the Roman Catholic Church Most Holy Pope John Paul II to whom we will send a

respectful invitation in case the authorities of Moscow Patriarchate will think embarrassing to make this historical step leading the peoples of East and West to peace and unity inGod;

The priest Valery Lapkovsky (the town of Kerch) Alexander Ogorodnikov (Moscow) Victor Aksyuchils (Moscow) Gleb Anishenko (Obninsk) Vladimir Osipov (Tarusa) Michael Born bin (Riga) Vladimir Poresh (Lcnningrad) Evgeny Pazuchin (Lenningrad) Alexey Goncharov (Drushkonvka, Donetzk reg.)

Initiative Group for Preparation of the Celebration of the lOOOLh Anniversary of Baptism in Russia.

Moscow 129366, USSR. Tel. 283-01-20.